Having Fun Without Electricity

As many of those around Australia will know, tonight at 8pm is Earth Hour. For the unacquainted, the idea behind Earth Hour is that everyone switches off all non-essential lights between 8pm and 9pm. The aim of this action is primarily to create awareness about the issue of climate change and encourage people to take a more responsible approach to their energy usage.

One of the interesting things that I have been thinking about as a result of Earth Hour is our perceived dependence on electricity, which I think is a pretty sad indictment on our society. Tonight, I will be attending the first ever "Nerd Hour" party, where we will be switching off our lights and switching on our brains instead. I'm reliably informed that among other things there will be trivia and Scrabble. Although the event will be carbon neutral, I expect there to be a lot of energy around.

As I final thought, I have been saddened to see the response of some Christians to the whole event and to the issue of climate change in general. While most Christians are taking their responsibilities as custodians of God's creation seriously, others have taken a very dismissive and angry response to the initiative and the promoters thereof. Even if one didn't agree with the initiative, I would've thought that they could have acknowledged that other Christians are at least intending to do an honourable thing in conserving the environment. But instead they have to denigrate and disparage through who are taking part. This is rather sad.